Common English Phrases and Idioms in Top World Literature – with Example Sentences

This great collection of English sentences will help students and writers learn English phrases and Idioms and their usage by examples from world’s top literature. There are some 1,200+ idioms with 20,000+ sentence examples in the database complied from top 98 selected books written by the 83 world famous authors.

The database is available in MS Excel 2007 (.xlsx) format and MS Access 2007 (.accdb) database format. This product can be used for personal use; learning or research purpose; or as content for application, blog or website (please check out details in the ‘Specific Terms and Conditions’.

Definition of Idioms are also available. Length of the example sentences are between 30 and 128 characters. Being less than 140 characters twitter limits, these sentence examples are suitable for twits. Sentences were compiled from the following sources:

In addition to the above structure, idiom definitions are also available in normalized form in the database as below:

Field

Data Type

Description

Idiom

Character (60)

Common English Phrases and Idioms

Idiom Definition

Character (255)

Definitions of the idiom, sometimes from multiple sources

Total Records:

There are some 1,200+ idioms with 20,000+ sentence examples in the database complied from top 98 selected books written by the 83 world famous authors.

Sample Records:

Idiom

Idiom Definition

Sentence

Book Title

Author

a breach of promise

the breaking of a promise which may also be a breach of contract

TOO MUCH, I am afraid; for what becomes of the moral, if our comfort springs from a breach of promise?

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

a great deal

much; a lot

A young woman who was selling numbers for the raffle of an accordion greeted him with a great deal of familiarity.

The Autumn of the Patriarch

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

a great deal

much; a lot

One can forgive a great deal for the sake of such moments.

Notes from the Underground

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

spitting image

exact resemblance

This short dialogue reveals that in my mania for the Nautilus, I was turning into the spitting image of its commander.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne

stand a chance

have a possibility

When they get here you won’t stand a chance.

Watership Down

Richard Adams

wrapped up in

thinking about or interested only in one thing

I saw it lying there wrapped up in paper.

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

wrapped up in

thinking about or interested only in one thing

Amaranta was too wrapped up in the eggplant patch of her memories to understand those subtle apologetics.

The Autumn of the Patriarch

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

carry on

continue; keep doing something as before

Not a napkin should he carry on his arm, but a buckler.

Moby Dick

Herman Mellville

carry on

continue; keep doing something as before

We wouldn’t have a brother any more, then, but we could carry on with our lives and remember him with respect.

Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka

down the line

straight ahead; in the future

Jurgis went down the line with the rest of the visitors, staring openmouthed, lost in wonder.

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair

down the line

straight ahead; in the future

They walked swiftly down the line of carriages, glancing in at the windows, until the guard, John Palmer, overtook them.

Tales of Terror and Mystery

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

in the hole

in debt; owing money

It was dark in the hole; and Rikki-tikki never knew when it might open out and give Nagaina room to turn and strike at him.

The Jungle Book

Rudyard Kipling

in the hole

in debt; owing money

He hardly dared to look at what was framed in the hole in the sheet.

Midnight’s children

Salman Rushdie

in the saddle

in command; in control

Jos, a clumsy and timid horseman, did not look to advantage in the saddle.

Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray

in the saddle

in command; in control

in the saddle, miles away from the homestead; camping at nightPaddy and the boys loved it.

The Thorn Birds

Colleen Mc Cullough

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Data Format:MS Excel 2007 Spread Sheet,MS Access 2007 Database

Format Details:The database is available in MS Excel 2007 (.xlsx) format and MS Access 2007 (.accdb) database format. Other formats may be available on request. An additional fee may be applicable for additional file format.

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